Friday, October 10, 2008

This very delicious salmon video recipe features a classic flavor profile from Southeast Asia - garlic, ginger, and basil - all playing together in a slightly sweet, slightly spicy sauce. People are always looking for easy and quick salmon recipes, and this is both. As an added bonus, the fragrant sauce will scent your kitchen with more than the smell of seared salmon.There really isn’t anything to not like about this recipe…unless you are a food stylist. I can't think of a harder recipe to make look great in a photo. The chopped basil turns dark green as soon as it hits the sauce, and against the coral fish, looks almost black. In fact, as I admit in the video, I almost skipped the basil knowing what dark horrors it would inflict on my beautiful sauce.

Luckily, I didn’t succumb to such superficial concerns as the flavor the herb gives the salmon is critical. When cooking, the form verses function debate is always settled with a fork. By the way, you can make three equally delicious versions of this by using cilantro, or mint, in place of the basil. Enjoy!

that really looks delish! I'm more of a meat lover, but I really need to learn how to cook fish. I noticed that a lot of your salmon recipes are under the broiler, and I don't have one (poo hoo right?).. So thank you soooo much for doing a fish recipe in a pan!!

absolutely wonderful chef. i wish others of your vocation could come to understand that (simple) level of integrity... the basil turns black; but it tastes good. it's not especially camera-friendly; but it works. if you could manage to teach that to all the other chefs-on-camera; you might, single-handedly, restore edible home cooking. (do they have a noble prize for that yet?)

Hey i just tried this with just regular sugar and chinese vinegar. I didn't have fresh basil leaves so i just threw in some basil from the supermarket and barely tasted at all. BUT it still worked excellently. I guess this gingered sweet-sour flavor is simply good for salmon.

I was wondering, do you recommend using wild salmon or farmed? Some favor farmed salmon because it is cheaper. However, I have also read that wild salmon has higher Omega-3 content and astaxanthin in it. I live in a remote area so it's not easy to find good fresh salmon so I end up ordering it online. But I never know what kind to buy? Should I buy Atlantic salmon? Or Pacific salmon? Or Alaskan salmon. Or should I order farmed salmon or wild salmon?

I just tried this and it was awesome! I did make a few substitutions because I didn't have the exact ingredients.

Rather than rice vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar. Rather than using the hot chili sauce, I used red pepper. I also used ground ginger instead of minced. Instead of fresh chopped basil I used the other kind you find in the seasoning aisle of a grocery store.

I made the mistake of putting the basil in the sauce and mixing it in but everything turned out just fine.

I will definitley be making this in the future. The whole prep, cooking, and serving took about 20 minutes.

Can I use dried basil instead of fresh chopped basil? Buying fresh basil is kind of a hassle because if I don't use it all up soon, it just dries up and becomes an expensive waste. Therefore, is it possible to use dried basil leaves instead? Will it affect any of the taste? Thanks.

Hi Chef John!I'm going to be making this dish (or the grilled version depending on how lazy my husband will be feeling) for Armenian xmas on January 6th (we eat fish for that day). This will be my first holiday dish for his family since we got married, and I think they'll love it!Here's my question (finally): I'll be making the dish for about 12 people, do you think it would be ok for me to maybe cook the salmon on one of those large griddles so I can do multiple at a time?

You are the MAN!!! Thanks for sharing not only this recipe, but all the recipes on this blog. You are very kind to do so and it exemplifies your passion for great food. I'm a homecook who loves to eat great food but can't always afford to go out to have it (have lil rascals and a california home mortgage), but because of your AWESOME blog my family and I can make and eat great food without sacrificing the loss of our home and lifestyle. Thank you so much from me/my family, and all the other cooks who enjoy and cherish your blog. Bless you! P.S. I am also from WNY.

After turning a beautiful piece of salmon into something I forced my husband to eat even though it was practically inedible because I'd grilled all moisture from it, I turned to the internet and found this recipe! I made it three days ago and am making it tonight when my daughter comes home. IT was so good that the extra piece I was going to take for lunch the next day disappeared that night. I bookmarked your blog. Maybe I CAN cook seafood! Thanks, Chef!

Grilling or frying salmon tends to stink up the kitchen.We love salmon. We buy individual peices and oven fan bake at 350F for 15-20 mins. uncovered in either a baking dish or baking sheet on cooking paper.I use this technique for all salmon recipes which i have adapted. While salmon is cooking I can make the sauce or salsa to accompany it and do the salad or other vege. A cherry tomatoe caper salsa is our fav closely followed by a creamy lemon/caper sauce. Just GOOGLE.

Just made this, subbed dried basil for fresh and half white vinegar/half water for the rice vinegar. It was still really delicious, although my salmon stuck to the pan when I tried to flip it and I lost all the brown crust.